Monday, May 18, 2015

Review- THE FADE OUT: ACT ONE

THE
FADE OUT: ACT ONE (Image, 2015;
Softcover)

Collects
The
Fade Out #1-4
(cover
dates August, 2014- January, 2015)

Writer:
Ed Brubaker

Artist:
Sean Phillips

Colorist:
Elizabeth Breitweiser

Ed
Brubaker remains the brightest spot in modern comics. He has decided
to take Noir to it's logical extreme, experimenting with every
conceivable facet of it. This time it comes in the form of The
Fade Out, with the
reader being transported back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, back
when the rules and laws of normal society didn't apply because of
money. The more things change, right? A studio tries to cover up the
murder of an actress, moving the body to make it look like a suicide
while leaving screenwriter Charlie Parish in a predicament since he
was sleeping one off in the other room.

This
is where the real problem for this title starts. Brubaker is a
brilliant writer. Everything that he has ever done has pushed beyond
what he has done before. The
Fade Out seems to take
various elements of what has worked splendidly for him in the past
and are presented here without anything different or new. This isn't
a knock as much as it is an observation. Think of it in terms of
albums by The Rolling Stones. Whereas Fatale
was his Sticky Fingers,
The Fade Out
is more of his It's
Only Rock 'N' Roll.
Highly polished bits and pieces of what worked before, presented in a
cohesive and enjoyable package. The trick now is whether this is
Brubaker catching his breath, reiterating what he does best before
making another leap or whether he is entering a holding pattern. Will
the next arc be his Black
And Blue? Let's hope
not.

Sean
Phillips and Elizabeth
Breitweiser are a great pair, with Phillips' art and Breitweiser's
color becoming more polished and refined. Phillips especially has
grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years.

I
may sound a bit harsh, but part of this is Brubaker's own fault for
being so inventive with every outing. If this were Joe Blow, who
turned in competent yet average work time and again, I would be
satisfied and give full approval. Brubaker is a victim of his own
success, though, as I expect
to be blown away. The twists and turns are all present here, but I
haven't felt the gut punch yet. I am not giving up hope, though. This
is only Act One.
And this is still better than 99% of what is currently on the stands.